34 
6S65 


OLD  YORKTOWN 
AND  ITS  HISTORY 


By  Mrs.  Sydney  Smith 


Copyright,   1020 

By  MRS.   SYDNEY   SMITH 

Yorktown,   V;;. 


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(Blh  liorfetotun  anti  M^  ^iistorp 


By  Mrs.  Sydney  Smith. 


THE  TOWN  OF  YORK  (now  Yorktown)  was  laid  off  in 
1691  by  Laurence  Smith,  surveyor.  The  king  issued 
orders  that  fifty  acres  of  land  should  be  bought  and  laid 
off  for  a  shire  town  (court-house  town),  and  must  be  paid  for 
from  the  king's  treasury  (which  was  tobacco).  The  land  be- 
longed to  Benjamin  Read,  of  Gloucester,  and  the  amount  paid 
for  it  was  ten  thousand  pounds  of  tobacco.  The  river  on  which 
Yorktown  was  built  was  first  called  the  Charles  River,  and 
afterwards  the  York,  from  York  in  England,  from  which  the  town 
and  river  took  their  name.  A  map  of  the  town  made  by  Laurence 
Smith  in  1691  is  on  record  in  the  clerk's  office  and  a  facsimile 
will  be  found  on  the  first  page  of  this  book.     The  street  scene 


^\       ir^^^B    '  >*^^^^^^^^jB^^^' 

-- 

l^P 

i-i*^«NH 

*■ 

MAIN  STREET. 


4 OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTOiRY 

in  the  picture  shows  the  original  main  street  of  the  old  town,  the 
only  street  that  runs  parallel  with  the  river.  There  are  seven 
cross  streets  running  east  and  west:  Bacon,  Smith,  Pearl,  Read, 
Grace,  Ballard  and  Buckner,  all  of  which  were  laid  off  and  named 
at  the  time  that  the  town  was  laid  off.     Yorktown  has  been 


MAIN  STREET— LOOKING  EAST. 


MAIN  STREET— LOOKING  WEST. 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY  5 

burned  three  times  and  very  few  of  the  old  houses  remain.  All 
that  is  left  of  the  Revolutionary  breastworks  are  a  few  mounds 
which  will  be  seen  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road  as  one  leaves 
the  monument.  All  of  the  forts  around  Yorktown  were  products 
of  the  Revolution  but  were  reinforced  during  the  War  Between 
the  States  by  Magruder  when  McClellan  came  up  the  Peninsula. 
Being  already  there,  it  was  easier  to  reinforce  them  than  to  build 
others.  Fort  Hamilton,  just  out  of  the  town,  was  named  for  the 
gallant  young  general,  Alexander  Hamilton,  who  took  this  fort. 
It  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  and  is  seen  on  the  left  in  going 
to  Temple  Farm,  on  which  is  the  Moore  House,  where  the  Ar- 
ticles of  Agreement  were  drawn  up. 

The  old  Episcopal  Church,  built  in  1700,  is  constructed  of 
oyster  shells  and  a  formation  of  rock  and  sand  stuccoed.  The 
original  building  was  Cruciform,  but  the  arms  of  the  cross  were 
destroyed,  and  only  the  main  part  of  the  building  is  left.  The 
foundation  of  one  of  the  arms  is  still  to  be  seen  on  the  left.  The 
bell  and  communion  service  were  presented  to  the  church  by 
Queen  Anne,  and  both  are  still  used.  The  bell  bears  the  date 
1725.  It  withstood  everything  except  the  Civil  War,  when  a 
magazine  exploded  in  the  west  end  of  the  tow^n  while  McClellan 


EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 
Built  1700. 


6  OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY 

was  there,  and  damaged  the  belfry  so  badly  the  bell  fell  and  was 
cracked.  It  was  taken  away  by  one  of  the  soldiers  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  some  smelting  company. 
In  1881,  the  time  of  the  Centennial  at  Yorktown,  it  was  recast 
and  sent  back  as  a  present  to  the  church. 

In  the  yard  of  the  church  are  many  old  tombs,  six  generations 
of  the  Nelson  family  being  represented  among  them.  That  of 
Scotch  Tom  Nelson,  the  founder  of  the  Nelson  family  in  York,  is 
first  and  is  an  antique  monument.  On  the  four  sides  are  cherubs. 
On  the  head  of  one  a  crown  is  being  placed,  and  another  with  a 
trumpet  is  proclaiming  "All  Glory  to  God."  The  inscription 
has  all  disappeared.  At  the  foot  of  this  grave  is  another  tomb 
made  of  brick  and  not  so  elaborate.  It  marks  the  body  of  Presi- 
dent Wilham  Nelson,  son  of  Scotch  Tom  Nelson  and  president 
of  the  King's  Council.  Then  comes  the  grave  of  Governor 
Nelson,  son  of  William  Nelson.  This  grave  lay  for  years  un- 
marked, no  one  knowing  exactly  where  this  great  man  was 
buried.  Mr.  Lee,  of  Gloucester,  rector  of  the  church,  found  an 
old  history  in  which  it  was  stated  that  Governor  Thomas  Nelson 
was  buried  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  of  his  father,  President  William 
Nelson.  Since  then  the  descendants  of  the  Nelsons  have  marked 
his  grave  with  a  large  granite  slab  bearing  the  following  inscrip- 
tion: 

"General  Thomas  Nelson,  Jr., 

Patriot,  Soldier,  Christian  Gentleman, 

Born  December  12,  1738;  Died  January  2,  1789. 

Mover  of  the  Resolution  of  May  16,  1776,  in  the  Virginia 

Convention  Instructing  Her  Delegates  in  Congress  to 

Move  That  Body  to  Declare  the  Colonies  Free  and 

Independent  States;  Signer  of  the  Declaration 

OF  Independence;  War  Governor  of  Virginia; 

Commander  of  the  Virginia  Forces. 

'He  Gave  All  for  Liberty!'  " 

The  other  three  generations  are  buried  to  the  right  of  these 
tombs,  and  their  graves  are  inclosed  by  an  iron  fence. 

During  the  War  of  1812,  when  the  soldiers  went  through 
Yorktown  burning  everything  as  they  went,  they  took  the  fur- 
niture out  of  the  church  and  made  a  bonfire,  afterwards  using 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND   ITS    HISTORY 


"THE  MOORE  HOUSE." 

Home  of  Governor  Spottswood,  and  where  Articles  of  Agreement  were  drawn  up  between 
the  Americans  and  English  in  1781. 


ROOM  IN  MOORE  HOUSE  IN  WHICH  ARTICLES  OF  AGREEMENT  WERE  DRAWN  UP 


8  OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY 

the  church  for  a  stable.     It  was  also  used  during  the  Civil  War 
as  a  hospital. 

The  Moore  House,  on  Temple  Farm,  was  the  summer  home  of 
Governor  Spottswood,  who  was  the  great  Marlborough's  side-de- 
camp, and  who  had  borne  the  news  of  Bernheim  to  England.  He 
established  the  iron  foundry  in  America.  His  body  was  brought 
from  Maryland  and  buried  on  the  farm  by  what  is  called  "The 
Temple."  It  is  said  that  Governor  Spottswood  built  a  temple 
or  church  on  the  farm,  and  it  is  from  this  that  the  name  is  de- 
rived. This  is  traditional  and  not  authentic,  as  it  is  thought 
that  the  temple  is  of  older  date.  The  name  may  have  been  taken 
from  the  ancestors  of  Governor  Spottswood  by  that  name.  The 
jMoore  House  is  named  for  Bernard  ]Moore,  who  married  the 
daughter  of  Governor  Spottswood.  In  this  house,  in  the  room 
on  the  right  as  you  enter,  the  Articles  of  Agreement  were  drawn 
up.  It  has  been  said  by  some  that  they  were  signed  in  this  room, 
but  the  fact  is  that  Washington  went  out  to  his  camp  in  the 
trenches  to  have  them  signed.  At  the  Temple  the  only  grave 
to  be  seen  is  that  of  Major  William  Gooch,  with  the  following 
inscription : 

''Within  that  tomb  their  dust  interred  he, 
No  shape  but  substance,  true  nobihty. 
Itself,  though  young  in  years,  just  twenty-nine, 
Yet  graced  with  virtues  moral  and  divine. 
The  church  from  him  did  good  participate 
In  council  rare  fit  to  adorn  a  State." 

There  is  another  tomb  that  was  ploughed  up  on  the  farm  and 
is  kept  in  the  basement  of  the  jMoore  House.  This  gives  the 
name  of  Turner,  and  the  date  of  his  death  as  October  19,  1781, 
the  day  of  the  surrender.  He  was  killed  during  the  siege  of  York- 
town,  and  the  inscription  on  the  slab  reads:  "It  was  the  cruel 
ball  that  took  him  from  his  loved  ones'  arms."  There  is  a  part 
of  the  foundation  of  the  temple  to  be  seen,  and  no  doubt  a  good 
many  tombs  are  buried  beneath  the  ground  and  could  be  found 
by  excavating.  It  seems,  however,  as  if  none  of  the  owners  of 
the  farm  care  to  have  the  place  disturbed. 

The  old  Custom  House,  which  stands  now  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation,  was  the  first  custom  house  in  America.  Yorktown 
being  the  first  port  of  entry,  all  vessels  doing  business  with  the 
Northern  cities  had  to  come  first  to  this  port  for  papers  before 
going  on.  The  building  is  said  to  have  been  erected  about  1715, 
but  this  date  is  not  authentic.     It  is  built  of  old  English  brick. 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY 


FIRST   CUSTOM  HOUSE  OF  AMERICA. 
Built  About  1715. 


The  first  and  only  bank  in  Yorktown  is  housed  in  the  Custom 
House,  and  visitors  are  always  welcome. 

Cornwallis'  cave,  down  under  the  hill,  is  said  to  have  been  the 
hiding  place  of  Cornwallis  during  the  siege  of  Yorktown.  \Ye 
cannot  think  this  of  the  brave  general  at  the  head  of  the  British 
Army.  Perhaps  if  he  went  in  the  cave  it  was,  just  as  the  sight- 
seer goes,  to  look  at  it.  It  is  thought  to  have  been  a  smuggler's 
cave.  The  only  way  of  getting  into  the  cave  was  through  a 
small  hole  just  over  where  the  door  now  is.  By  means  of  a  ladder 
of  some  make  anj'one  could  crawl  in  and  out  without  being  seen. 
This  cave  was  used  during  the  Civil  War  as  a  magazine.  A 
large  fort  was  built  around  it  to  protect  it.  A  passageway  was 
constructed  which  led  to  the  cave,  and  the  holes  which  are  cut 
in  the  cave  were  made  to  hold  the  large  beam  used  in  making  the 
passageway.  Some  time  after  the  war  all  of  this  gave  way  and 
fell  in.  The  owner  of  the  place  cleared  away  the  debris,  dug  out 
a  place  of  entrance,  put  up  a  door,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Cen- 
tennial of  1881  began  to  charge  an  admission  fee  of  ten  cents. 
"WTiatever  its  history  the  cave  is  one  of  the  places  of  interest  of 
Yorktown  and  should  be  seen  by  all  visitors.     Upon  entering 


10 


OLD'YORKTOWN   AND   ITS    HISTORY 


CORNWALLIS'  CAVE 
The  Cave  Where  Cornwallis  Was  Supposed  to  Have  Hidden  During  the  Siege 


one  finds  himself  in  a  large  room,  to  the  right  of  which  is  a  smaller 
room. 

The  West  House  was  the  home  of  Elizabeth  Nelson,  the  oldest 
daughter  of  President  William  Nelson,  who  married  Major  West^ 
a  member  of  the  governor's  staff.  Three  Revolutionary  cannon 
balls  went  through  the  house,  a  twelve-inch  sill  in  the  basement 
being  cut  in  half  by  one  of  them,  another  going  through  the  first 
floor.  There  are  marks  now  on  the  walls  in  each  room  where 
the  ball  penetrated.  This  is  now  the  home  of  the  author  of  this 
pamphlet. 

The  small  monument  is  said  to  mark  the  spot  of  the  surrender. 
Mr.  Shaw,  a  patriotic  old  gentleman,  then  superintendent  of 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS   HISTORY 


11 


THE  WEST  HOUSE. 
Built  by  President  William  Nelson  in  1720. 

the  National  Cemetery,  was  very  much  interested  in  the  his- 
torical places  in  Yorktown.  After  being  in  the  town  for  some 
time  without  being  shown  anything  to  mark  the  spot  of  the  sur- 
render, he  determined  to  try  to  find  the  place.  It  is  known  to 
have  been  somewhere  near  the  cemetery,  and  at  the  place  where 
the  poplar  trees  were  planted.  In  searching  around  he  found 
what  he  thought  to  be  the  stumps  of  these  trees.  At  this  place 
he  placed  a  monument  at  his  own  expense,  hoping  the  govern- 
ment would  in  time  replace  it  with  a  larger  one.  The  govern- 
ment, doubting  the  accuracy  of  Mr.  Shaw's  location  as  being  that 
where  the  sword  was  given  up,  and  unwilling  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment to  mark  such  a  great  event,  with  the  possibility  of  discover- 
ing in  after  years  a  mistake  in  the  location,  decided  not  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  marking  the  spot  of  the  surrender  until  it 
could  be  authentically  ascertained.  Mr.  Shaw  was  very  much 
disappointed  and  kept  the  little  monument  at  his  own  expense 
while  he  lived.  After  his  death  no  one  seemed  enough  interested 
to  look  after  it,  and  it  is  falling  down  by  degrees.  Soon  there 
will  be  nothing  left.     It  is  hoped  that  in  the  near  future  the  gov- 


12 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY 


MONUMENT  MARKING  PLACE   OF   SURRENDER. 


ernment  will  by  some  means  find  the  spot  of  the  surrender  and 
erect  a  suitable  monument,  which  could  be  looked  after  with  little 
extra  expense  by  the  superintendent  of  the  National  Cemetery. 
This  is  the  place  of  all  places  that  the  government  of  the  United 
States  should  be  interested  in,  for  it  was  here  that  our  country 
gained  its  independence.  If  not  at  the  spot  of  the  Shaw  monu- 
ment, then  somewhere  near  it  the  sword  of  the  British  Army  was 
given  up  and  America  was  free. 

The  Old  English  Tavern,  now  called  the  Yorktown  Hotel,  was 
the  first  tavern  to  be  built  in  Yorktown.  It  was  here  that  Wash- 
ington, LaFayette,  Cornwallis  and  other  great  generals  were 
entertained.  It  is  thought  by  some  to  be  the  oldest  house  now 
standing  in  Yorktown. 

The  Nelson  House  was  the  home  of  the  Governor  Thomas 
Nelson,  Jr.,  and  the  headquarters  of  Cornwallis  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  siege,  his  headquarters  being  first  in  Secretarj^  House 
and  what  is  known  as  Secretary  Hill,  just  beyond  the  monument. 
Scotch  Tom  Nelson,  the  first  Nelson  ancestor  in  America,  brought 
three  sons  with  him,  William,  Hugh  and  Thomas.  He  built  a 
home  for  each  of  them  and  this  house  was  built  for  William  Nel- 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY 


13 


HOME  OF  GOVERNOR  THOMAS  NELSON 
Built  1711. 


son,  president  of  the  King's  Council  and  father  of  Governor 
Thomas  Nelson.  Some  give  the  date  of  its  erection  as  1740,  but 
the  writer  found  among  some  old  papers  copied  from  an  old  his- 
tory giving  1711  as  the  time  of  the  building  of  this  house  for  Wil- 
liam Nelson,  the  son  of  Scotch  Tom  Nelson.  Miss  Kate  Nelson, 
the  last  of  the  Nelson  family  to  live  in  this  house,  also  told  the 
writer  that  her  father  had  stated  to  her  that  the  house  was  built 
in  1711.  It  bears  marks  of  Revolutionary  cannon  balls,  one 
of  which  was  fired  by  Governor  Nelson  himself  when  Cornwallis 
occupied  the  house.  This  house  has  a  secret  panel  and  a  winding 
stairway  leading  to  the  attic.  The  wall  around  the  house  was 
not  built  until  after  the  Civil  War,  and  w^as  put  up  by  the  last 
William  Nelson,  of  Texas,  a  grandson  of  the  governor.  It  was  in 
the  Nelson  House  that  General  LaFayette  was  entertained  when 
he  visited  Yorktown  in  1824.  Scotch  Tom  Nelson's  house  stood 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  from  the  Nelson  House  and  was 
shelled  down  during  the  siege.  His  office  stood  in  good  condi- 
tion until  two  years  ago,  when  it  was  burned.  The  Nelson  heirs 
owned  this  place  until  1907,  when  it  was  sold  to  Mr.  Joseph 
Bryan,  of  Richmond.     It  is  now  owned  by  Captain  George  P. 


14 


OLD    YORKTOWN    AND    ITS    HISTORY 


OLD  ENGLISH  TAVERN 


Blow,  of  LaSalle,  111.  In  the  gable  end  of  the  house  can  be  seen 
a  hole  made  by  the  ball  fired  by  Governor  Thomas  Nelson  when 
it  furnished  refuge  for  the  enemy.  Governor  Nelson  was  a  signer 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  governor,  and  com- 
manded the  Virginia  militia  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
When  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  he  was  sent  to  Eton  and  afterwards 
to  Cambridge,  where  he  graduated  with  high  honors.  In  1761 
he  returned  home  and  was  made  a  member  of  the  House  of  Bur- 
gesses through  the  influence  of  his  family. 

The  monument  which  stands  to-day  in  Yorktown  was  built 
to  commemorate  the  victory  of  the  Revolution.  In  1781  the 
first  Congress  which  met  after  the  Revolutionary  War  adopted 
resolutions  ordering  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  be  appro- 
priated to  build  a  monument  in  Yorktown  to  commemorate  the 
victory  of  the  Americans. 

It  was  not  until  1880  (nearly  one  hundred  years  afterwards) 
that  the  direction  was  carried  out.  There  were  three  artists 
appointed,  R.  M.  Hunt  and  J.  A.  Ward,  of  New  York,  and  Henry 
Van  Brunt,  of  Boston,  and  the  design  and  model  were  to  be  ac- 
cepted by  the  Secretary  of  War.  The  sentiment  of  this  monu- 
ment is  intended  to  convey  the  idea  set  forth  in  the  dedicatory 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS   HISTORY 


15 


YORKTOWN  MONUMENT. 
Erected  to  Commemorate  the  Victory  of  the  American  Army  in  1781. 

inscription  that  by  the  victory  of  Yorktown  the  independence  of 
America  was  achieved.  The  four  sides  of  the  base  contain, 
first,  an  inscription  dedicating  the  monument  as  a  memorial  of 
victory;  second,  an  inscription  presenting  a  succinct  narrative  of 
the  siege;  third,  the  treaty  of  alliance  with  the  King  of  France; 
fourth,  the  treaty  of  peace  with  the  King  of  England. 
M  In  the  pediments  over  these  four  sides  are  carved,  first,  em- 
blems of  nationality;  second,  emblems  of  war;  third,  emblems  of 
alliance;  and,  fourth,  emblems  of  peace. 

The  base  is  devoted  to  the  historical  statements.  On  the 
circular  produm  are  thirteen  female  figures,  representing  the 
thirteen  original  States.  On  the  belt  beneath  their  feet  are  the 
words,   "One  Country,   One  Destiny,  and  One  Constitution." 


16  OLD    YORKTOWN    AND    ITS    HISTORY 


The  thirty-eight  stars  on  the  cohimn  represent  the  thirty-eight 
States  that  had  been  admitted  to  the  Vnion  up  to  the  time  that 
the  monument  was  erected.  In  the  midst  of  the  stars  is  the  shield 
of  Yorktown,  "The  Branch  of  Peace."  At  the  top  stands  the 
Goddess  of  Liberty,  star-crowned,  welcoming  the  people  of  all 
nations  to  share  with  us  our  peace  and  prosperity.  The  monu- 
ment is  ninety-five  feet  sLx  inches  in  height.  The  inscriptions 
are  as  follows: 

FIRST. 

At  Yorktown  on  October  19,  17S1,  after  a  siege  of  nineteen  days  by  .5.500  Ameri- 
cans and  7,000  French  troops  of  the  hne,  .3, .500  mihtia  under  the  command  of  General 
Thomas  Nelson  and  thirty-sLx  French  ships  of  war,  Earl  CornwaUis,  commander  of 
the  British  forces  at  Yorktown  and  Gloucester,  surrendered  his  army  of  7.251  officers 
and  men,  840  seamen  and  240  standards  to  his  Excellency,  George  Washington, 
commander-in-chief  of  the  combined  forces  of  America  and  France,  and  to  his  Ex- 
cellency, the  Compte  de  Rochambeau,  commanding  the  auxiliary-  troops  of  his 
Most  Christian  Majesty  in  America,  and  to  his  Excellency,  the  Compte  de  Grasse, 
commanding-in-chief  the  naval  army  of  France  in  the  Chesapeake. 

SECOND. 

The  treaty  of  peace  concluded  February,  177S,  between  the  United  States  of 
America  and  Louis  XVI,  King  of  France,  declares  the  essential  end  of  the  present 
defensive  aUiance  is  to  maintain  effectually  the  liberty,  sovereignty  and  indepen- 
dence, absolute  and  unlimited,  of  the  I'liited  States  as  well  in  matters  of  government 
as  of  commerce. 

THIRD. 

Erected  in  pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  Congress,  adopted  October  29,  17S1,  and 
one  approved  June  7,  1S80,  to  commemorate  the  %-ictory  by  which  the  independence 
of  the  United  States  of  America  was  achieved. 

FOLTITH. 

The  pro\Tsional  articles  of  peace  concluded  November  30,  17S2,  and  the  difinitive 
treaty  of  peace  concluded  September  3,  17S3,  between  the  United  States  of  America 
and  George  III,  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  declares  his  Britanic  Majesty 
acknowledged  the  said  L'nited  States,  viz.:  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts  Bay, 
Rhode  Island  and  Fro%-idence  Plantations,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Marj'land,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  to  be  free,  sovereign  and  independent  States. 

This  monument  was  to  have  cost  8100,000.  Only  S95,000  was 
paid,  the  remaining  §5,000  being  put  in  the  treasury,  where  it 
was  drawing  interest.  Ex-President  Taft  visited  the  town  while 
he  was  Secretary  of  State  and  became  very  much  interested  in 

Yorktown  and  the  monument.     Seeing  only  a  little  pale  fence 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY  17 

around  the  monument,  falling  down  from  year  to  year,  and 
learning  of  the  So, 000  lying  in  the  treasury,  he  made  up  his  mind 
to  have  this  sum  used  in  improving  the  premises  and  effected  an 
appropriation  of  the  money  to  that  end.  The  grounds  were  put 
in  order,  granolithic  walks  laid,  and  an  iron  fence  erected  around 
the  square. 

Still  another  monument  has  adorned  Yorktown.  A  monu- 
ment was  erected  in  the  town  in  1860  to  commemorate  the  sur- 
render. It  was  thirteen  feet  in  height  and  composed  of  two  bases 
of  James  River  granite  and  a  shaft  of  white  marble  bearing  the 
following  inscription : 

"Erected  the  19th  day  of  October,  1860,  by  the  regimental 
and  company  officers  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  of  Virginia 
militia  of  Gloucester  county,  and  of  the  volunteer  company 
attached  hereto,  to  mark  the  spot  of  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis' 
sword  on  the  19th  of  October,  1781." 

This  monument  was  furnished  by  John  W.  Davies,  of  Rich- 
mond. It  was  not  erected  on  the  19th  of  October  on  account  of  a 
heavy  storm,  its  erection  being  deferred  until  the  29th  of  October. 
The  site  was  authenticated  by  several  marks  of  identification 
which  had  been  placed  by  William  Nelson,  son  of  Governor  Nel- 
son, and  consisting  of  a  heap  of  ballast  stones  differing  from  those 
common  to  the  locality  and  supposed  to  have  been  brought  over 
from  England  in  vessels  and  to  have  dated  back  to  the  time  when 
LaFayette  visited  the  town  in  1824.  Another  landmark  was  the 
poplar  trees  planted  by  William  Nelson  in  the  form  of  a  square 
about  the  year  1847.  The  life  of  this  monument  was  short. 
It  fell  a  victun  to  the  soldiers  who  were  stationed  nearby,  and  not 
a  vestige  of  it  remains.  It  is  thought  to  have  been  carried  off 
by  relic  hunters. 

The  monument  which  stands  to-day  at  Yorktown  as  a  memorial 
of  victory  was  to  have  been  placed  on  the  spot  of  surrender,  but 
the  contract  provided  that  it  should  be  put  in  the  town  of  York, 
and  as  the  spot  of  surrender  was  outside  of  the  town,  a  situation 
was  chosen  on  the  most  beautiful  bluff  which  overlooks  the  York 
River  and  on  property  owned  by  the  government  at  the  time  of 
the  erection  of  the  monument. 

A  brief  account  of  the  siege  of  Yorktown  follows:  Cornwallis 
occupied  the  town  with  several  of  his  ships  Ijang  at  anchor  above 
Gloucester  Point.  The  American  Army  formed  a  crescent  about 
Yorktown,  Washington  with  his  army  being  stationed  about 
three  miles  out  in  the  county  to  the  south,  Nelson  with  the  militia 


18  OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY 


THE  HARBOR,   YORKTOWN,  VA. 

at  Wormley's  Creek,  to  the  east,  and  Rochambeau  to  the  west. 
The  French  fleet,  Compte  de  Grasse  commander,  lay  off  in  the 
river  forming  a  block  against  the  British.  Cornwallis,  finding 
himself  completely  hemmed  in,  attempted  to  get  over  to  the 
Gloucester  side,  where  part  of  his  army  was  stationed.  He  had 
little  batteaux  (flat-bottomed  boats)  made  ready  so  that  when 
everything  seemed  opportune  he  might  make  his  escape.  At 
twelve  o'clock  the  little  boats  with  muffled  oars,  led  by  Corn- 
wallis in  person,  started  across  the  river.  When  they  were  in 
mid-stream  a  heavy  storm  arose,  so  violent  that  the  small  craft 
could  not  live  in  the  rough  waters.  Some  were  driven  ashore, 
some  capsized,  and  others  were  captured  by  the  French  ships. 
Part  of  the  English  fleet  were  sunk  and  others  captured  by  the 
French.  Before  the  ships  were  taken  Cornwallis  directed  that 
everything  of  any  value  be  thrown  overboard,  and  it  is  said  that 
a  large  and  heavy  chest  filled  with  money  and  other  valuables 
was  let  down  into  the  water  in  order  that  it  might  not  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Several  times  the  river  has  been 
dragged  for  this  chest,  but  nothing  of  the  supposed  Cornwallis 
treasure  has  ever  been  discovered.  This  occurred  on  October 
18,  1781,  and  on  the  19th  at  11  o'clock  the  surrender  took  place. 
Cornwallis  wTote  to  Washington  requesting  a  postponement  of 
the  surrender  by  reason  of  his  inability  to  attend  on  account  of 
sickness.     He  had  written  to  New  York  for  reinforcements  and 


OLD    YORKTOWN   AND    ITS    HISTORY  19 

was  expecting  them  at  any  time,  and  this  was  his  actual  motive 
for  asking  the  postponement.  Washington  heard  of  this  and  even 
at  the  time  that  the  message  was  sent  ships  were  entering  the  river 
with  reinforcements  for  the  British  Army.  One  was  sunk  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  by  the  French,  and  others  were  driven  back. 
Washington  refused  Cornwallis'  request  and  insisted  that  the 
surrender  must  take  place  on  the  19th.  Cornwallis  sent  General 
O'Hara  to  present  the  sword.  Washington  refused  to  receive 
the  sword  from  a  minor  general  and  deputized  General  Lincoln 
to  receive  it  for  him  from  General  O'Hara.  This  was  a  happy  day 
for  sweet  revenge  for  General  Lincoln,  for  the  previous  year  he 
had  surrendered  at  Charleston  to  an  inferior  officer. 

When  the  British  Prime  Minister  heard  the  news  of  the  sur- 
render which  ended  the  great  Revolutionary  War,  he  threw  up 
his  hands  and  exclaimed,  "My  God,  it's  all  over."  It  was  all 
over  and  ''America  was  free." 

When  Cornwallis  first  entered  Yorktown  he  made  his  head- 
quarters at  Secretary  Nelson's  house,  which  stood  on  Secretary 
Hill.  This  secretary  of  the  King's  Council  was  called  Tory 
Nelson,  because  of  his  friendliness  to  the  English,  and  it  was  be- 
cause of  his  sympathy  with  the  enemy  that  Cornwallis  selected 
this  place  for  his  headquarters.  The  French  found  that  Corn- 
wallis was  hiding  there  and  opened  fire  on  the  house.  The 
occupants  were  dining.  The  butler  was  killed  while  serving  the 
general.  When  Cornwallis  found  the  house  was  being  shelled  he 
said,  "It's  time  to  be  moving,"  and  went  immediately  to  Governor 
Nelson's  home.  Secretary  Nelson's  house  was  totally  destroyed. 
Learning  that  the  British  commander  had  moved  to  the  gov- 
ernor's house,  the  French  troops  began  firing  on  him  there. 
Washington,  hearing  that  Nelson's  property  was  being  destroyed, 
sent  word  that  nothing  belonging  to  him  must  be  damaged. 
Nelson  himself,  who  was  commanding  the  Virginia  militia,  when 
he  heard  Washington's  orders,  went  out  to  the  ships  and  said, 
"I  want  no  property  of  mine  saved  that  holds  refuge  for  the 
enemy."  Whereupon  he  aimed  the  gun  and  offered  five  guineas 
to  the  man  who  would  fire  it.  The  gunners  refused  to  disobey 
Washington's  command.  General  Nelson  fired  the  gun  himself 
and  the  ball  struck  the  gable  end  of  the  house,  making  the  hole 
which  can  now  be  seen  by  the  tourist. 

Nelson  spent  his  entire  fortune  in  the  Revolution  for  his  coun- 
try's cause  and  died  in  poverty,  the  grave  being  unmarked  until 
1907.     No  recompense  was  ever  made  to  the  family  by  the 


2[)  OLD    YQRKTOWN    AND    ITS    HISTORY 

nation.  Some  years  after  the  war  the  losses  were  computed  for 
the  pm'pose  of  applying  to  Congress  for  an  appropriation  to  cover 
them.  A  bill  was  brought  up  in  the  meantime  for  IMrs.  Hamilton, 
the  wife  of  Alexander  Hamilton  (who  it  was  that  made  the  great 
speech  under  the  walls  of  the  redoubt  at  Yorktown  and  was  the 
general  who  took  Fort  Hamilton,  named  after  him).  A  member 
of  Congress  inquired  if  there  was  not  a  poor  house  in  New  York, 
that  Mrs.  Hamilton  had  come  to  Congress  begging.  Governor 
Nelson,  being  a  listener  in  the  legislative  halls  at  the  time  of  this 
incident,  refused  to  proceed  further  in  his  mother's  behalf,  saying 
that  he  was  unwilling  to  permit  her  name  to  be  brought  before  a 
body  that  tolerated  such  expressions.  Mrs.  Nelson,  wife  of  the 
governor,  died  at  her  home  in  Hanover  and  was  buried  in  an  un- 
marked grave  in  the  old  family  graveyard.  After  the  grave  of 
Governor  Nelson  was  found  the  Nelson  descendants  wished  to 
have  the  remains  of  Mrs.  Nelson  brought  and  laid  beside  her  hus- 
band, but  as  there  is  nothing  to  show  where  her  grave  is  it  will  be 
difficult  to  carry  this  out  after  so  many  years. 

At  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War  Yorktown  boasted 
3,600  inhabitants.  Now  there  are  scarcely  300,  of  which  only 
about  125  are  white. 


RICHMOND   PRKSS,    INC.,    PniNTERS 


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